WASHINGTON - William S. Cohen and his wife, Janet, are welcomed by a military honor cordon as he makes his first entrance into the Pentagon as secretary of defense. Cohen was sworn in Jan. 24 by Vice President Al Gore in a White House ceremony and went to his new office later in the day.

WASHINGTON - Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, silver screen star Denzel Washington and President Bill Clinton all took advantage of the programs offered by Boys and Girls Clubs of America when they were young. Military youth can now do the same.

WASHINGTON - DoD will not tolerate sexual harassment in the military and will hold accountable people throughout the chain of command, said William S. Cohen in discussing challenges he faces as the new secretary of defense.

WASHINGTON - Thousands of Retired Reserve policyholders who carry Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance will be affected by a program merger early this year according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

WASHINGTON - William S. Cohen was sworn in as the nation's 20th Secretary of Defense on January 24, 1997, in a White House ceremony. His nomination was announced in White House ceremonies on Dec. 5, 1996, and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Jan. 22, 1997. He previously served three terms in the U.S. Senate for the State of Maine (1979-1997) and three terms in the House of Representatives from Maine's Second Congressional District (1973-1979).

RICHMOND, Va. - Attention, storage activities and retail end-level users. Are you incurring high disposal costs from your hazardous shelf-life materiel? Are shelf-life materiels going to waste in storage? A new DoD resource will help you to manage shelf-life materiel.

WASHINGTON - Tears streamed down Vernon Baker's face as President Clinton hung the Medal of Honor around his neck during White House ceremonies honoring seven African-American World War II veterans denied the medal until now.

WASHINGTON - Responding to the president's advisory committee final report on Gulf War veterans' illnesses, DoD officials described to reporters Jan. 8 what steps it has or will take to further its ongoing investigation.

WASHINGTON - When news of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination aired on Armed Forces Radio Network in Germany in April 1968, Leonard F. Stegman was "outraged as to why;" and questioned, "What prompted someone to do something like this?"

WASHINGTON - Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy still affects civil rights, human rights and other political issues in America and countries around the world, according to Steve Kline of the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta.

WASHINGTON - The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity's dream of honoring its most illustrious brother is on its way to becoming reality. Congress authorized the nation's oldest and largest Greek-letter African-American fraternity to build a memorial to their frat brother -- Martin Luther King Jr. -- in the nation's capital.

FORT LEE, Va. - In these days of little time to waste, why do people wait until their order is bagged before they start writing the check? Why does the cashier have to enter every coupon by hand? Why does it take five swipes to scan a price? Why don't commissaries take credit cards?

WASHINGTON - When preparing for the present or the future, one often draws information from the past. History helps guide people through trouble spots, finds common ground and prepares better ways to meet current challenges.

WASHINGTON - As part of the Air Force's 50th anniversary celebration this year, the service's Thunderbirds jet demonstration team will perform at 36 events in 22 states. The team will also perform in the United Kingdom.

WASHINGTON - During the past year, more than 10,000 members of the Guard and Reserve have been called to active duty to support the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, and Defense Department officials say that number is likely to increase in the months ahead. They point to Operation Joint Endeavor as a textbook example of the critical role the reserve components play in U.S. military operations.